George S. Irving (born Irving Shelasky; November 1, 1922 – December 26, 2016) was an American actor known primarily for his character roles on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and as the voice of

Heat Miser In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

in the American Christmas television specials beginning with '' The Year Without a Santa Claus'' (1974).

Early life

He was born Irving Shelasky in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Abraham and Rebecca Shelasky, as one of four siblings. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. When Irving was 13 or 14, he sang in synagogues and churches as a boy soprano. By his final high school year in 1940, he heard about a dramatic school in Boston for those who were not quite draft age and who were tall and had deep voices, so he immediately received a scholarship. In 1942, he worked in the chorus of the

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Muny Opera.

Career

On stage

Irving made his debut in the original 1943 production of ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'', only to be drafted days later to serve in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He received this role when one of the original actors lost his voice, and Irving went on as his replacement. He explains the following: "I wrote to The Theatre Guild when they were casting ''Oklahoma!'' and asked them to remind Oscar Hammerstein that he knew me a little, and I got an audition and was cast in the chorus".Dale, Michael
'George S. Irving - Still Carrying On' celebrates 60 years in Musical Theatre
June 16, 2004; accessed from December 7, 2012. Irving is best known to Broadway audiences for his performance with Debbie Reynolds and Jane Powell (successively) in '' Irene'' (1974), and his

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

nominated performance as Sir John in '' Me and My Girl'' (1987). At the 27th Tony Awards, he won the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for "Irene". In 2008, Irving recreated the three roles he originally played in the ill-fated 1976

Joseph Stein Joseph Stein (May 30, 1912 – October 24, 2010) was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and '' Zorba''. Biography Born in New York City to Jewish parents, Charles and Emma ( ...

musical ''So Long, 174th Street'', now reworked, revised, and with its original title ''Enter Laughing'' at Off-Broadway's York Theatre Company, and received rave reviews for his rendition of "The Butler's Song". Irving performed his one-man cabaret show to great acclaim at Feinstein's in New York City in November 2008. On December 8, 2008, aged 86, Irving received the 17th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.

Productions

*''

'' (1943) *'' Call Me Mister'' (1946) *'' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949) *'' Two's Company'' (1952) *'' Can-Can'' (1953) *''

Me and Juliet ''Me and Juliet'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The sixth stage collaboration by Rodgers & Hammerstein, it tells a story of romance backstage at a long-running musical: assistant stage ...

'' (1953) *'' Bells Are Ringing'' (1956) *'' Shinbone Alley'' (1957) *''

Irma La Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Alexa ...

'' (1960) *''

Bravo Giovanni ''Bravo Giovanni'' is a musical with a book by A. J. Russell, lyrics by Ronny Graham, and music by Milton Schafer. It is based upon Howard Shaw's 1959 novel, ''The Crime of Giovanni Venturi''. The musical was conceived as a vehicle for opera sta ...

'' (1962) *''Romulus'' (1962) *'' Tovarich'' (1963) *'' Anya'' (1965) *''

The Happy Time ''The Happy Time'' is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by the award-winning director Richard Fleischer, based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Robert Fontaine, which Samuel A. Taylor turned into a hit play. A boy, played by Bobb ...

'' (1968) *''

Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...

'' (off-Broadway; 1969) *'' An Evening with Richard Nixon and...'' (1972) *'' Irene'' (1973 revival) *''

So Long, 174th Street ''So Long, 174th Street'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book by Joseph Stein and lyrics and music by Stan Daniels. Based on Stein's play ''Enter Laughing'', which had been adapted from the Carl Reiner book of the same name and served as th ...

'' (1976) *'' Once in a Lifetime'' (1978 revival) *'' I Remember Mama'' (1979) *''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' (1981 revival) *'' Copperfield'' (1981) *''

On Your Toes ''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939. While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dolan ...

'' (1983 revival) *'' Me and My Girl'' (1986) *'' Busker Alley'' (2005) *'' A Wonderful Life'' (2005)

Voice acting career

One of his more prominent non-Broadway roles was a voice-over for '' The Year Without a Santa Claus'', in which he played the embittered

opposite

Dick Shawn Dick Shawn (born Richard Schulefand, December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor and comedian. He played a wide variety of supporting roles and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comed ...

's Snow Miser. He did another voice-over for Rankin-Bass as Mister Geppetto in ''

Pinocchio's Christmas ''Pinocchio's Christmas'' is a 1980 Christmas stop motion television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions that is a holiday adaptation of the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi. The special was originally aired on A ...

'' and was the narrator of the animated cartoon series ''

Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...

'' as well as the voice of Running Board on ''

Go Go Gophers ''Go Go Gophers'' is an animated series set in the Old West that appears as a 4-5 minute long segment within 48 episodes of the ''Underdog'' TV series. It was then spun off as a separate series on CBS that aired from September 14, 1968 to Septembe ...

''. He also voiced Captain Contagious in '' Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure''. Irving also narrated the popular ''

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' is a series of three collections of short horror stories for children, written by Alvin Schwartz and originally illustrated by Stephen Gammell. In 2011, HarperCollins published editions featuring new art ...

'' Audio Books. Irving returned to television in 2008 after an absence of more than a decade to reprise his role as Heat Miser in '' A Miser Brothers' Christmas'', a sequel to '' The Year Without a Santa Claus'', which premiered on December 13, 2008, on cable's ABC Family (now Freeform). The show served as the network's first original animated special. The production was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production Produced for Children by the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Animated Film Society.

Television

Irving was familiar to television audiences of the 1970s as a result of his memorable guest-starring appearance on ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' as Russ DeKuyper, the loudmouthed husband of Edith Bunker's cousin Amelia. He was also a regular in the cast of the short-lived 1976 sitcom '' The Dumplings''. Irving also did some work in commercials for White Owl Cigars in the early 1970s. He appeared as a memorable Baron Mirko Zeta in the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

production of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow, broadcast live in 1996 from the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; during the intermission he talked about the operetta's history and historical inspiration.

Personal life

Irving was married to

Maria Karnilova Maria Karnilova (August 3, 1920 – April 20, 2001) was an American dancer and actress. She was initially known legally as Maria Karniloff. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Filip (Philip) and Stefanida Dovgolenko (or Dow ...

from 1948 until her death in 2001. They had a son, Alexander (of Oceanside, California); a daughter, Katherine Irving (of

South Salem, New York South Salem is a hamlet in the Town of Lewisboro, Westchester County, in the U.S. state of New York. Part of the New York metropolitan area, the town center has a post office, town hall, library, and recycling center. Notable residents have inclu ...

), and three grandchildren.

Death

Irving died in Manhattan of heart failure on December 26, 2016, at the age of 94. At this age, he had been the last surviving cast member of ''

''.Tony Winner George S. Irving Dies at 94
; accessed December 29, 2016.

Filmography

*''

Up the Sandbox ''Up the Sandbox'' is a 1972 American comedy-drama film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Barbra Streisand. Paul Zindel's screenplay, based on the novel by Anne Roiphe, focuses on Margaret Reynolds, a bored, young wife and mother who ...

'' (1972) - Dr. Keglin *'' The Year Without a Santa Claus'' (1974) - Heat Miser (voice) *''

Fore Play ''Fore Play'' is a 1975 comedy film, comedy anthology film co-directed by Bruce Malmuth, Robert McCarty, Ralph Rosenblum, and future Academy Award-winner John G. Avildsen. Plot Within a frame story in which a doctor talks about sex, the film is ...

'' (1975) - Reverend/Roberto *''

Deadly Hero ''Deadly Hero'' is a 1975 American neo noir thriller film starring Don Murray, Diahn Williams, James Earl Jones, Lilia Skala and Treat Williams (in his film debut). It was directed by Ivan Nagy from a screenplay by George Wislocki and Don Peter ...

'' (1975) - Reilly *'' Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure'' (1977) - The Captain (voice) *''

'' (1980) -

Geppetto Geppetto ( , ), also known as Mister Geppetto, is an Italian fictional character in the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator (and thus 'father') of Pinocch ...

(voice) *'' A Miser Brothers' Christmas'' (2008) - Heat Miser (voice)

Television

*''

'' - 124 episodes - (1964-1967) - Narrator / Tap Tap the Chizzler / several Characters (voice) *''

'' - 48 episodes (1964-1966) - Running Board / Several Characters (voice) *'' Klondkie Kat'' - 26 episodes (1966-1967) - Major Minor / Several Characters (voice) *''

'' - episode - Amelia's Divorce (1975) - Russell DeKuyper *''

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'' - episode - From Russia With Love (1979) - Alexei Tomaszevski

References

External links

* * *
TonyAwards.com Interview with George S. Irving
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, George S. 1922 births 2016 deaths American male stage actors American male musical theatre actors American male voice actors Drama Desk Award winners Tony Award winners Actors from Springfield, Massachusetts American male television actors American male film actors Jewish American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Male actors from Massachusetts United States Army personnel of World War II 21st-century American Jews